II Kings 18:1-12; Isaiah 10:5-12:6
Several themes run through Isaiah that we would do well to recognize, but which I cannot possibly cover with any adequacy. We see a few of these today (as we have already in prior readings):
- The LORD’s sovereignty
- Assyria is the LORD’s instrument of judgment, fully under His control. Yet at the same time, the king of Assyria, exercising his own free will, is doing everything arrogantly and with evil intent, so the LORD holds him accountable for his sin. (Isaiah 10:5-27)
- We’ll see the same principle at play in the Crucifixion, where God is fully in control of Christ’s going to the Cross, yet all the actors (Judas, Pilate, those who cry, “Crucify!”) are responsible for their evil actions.
- In prior readings, see Isaiah 14:24-27.
- The promise of a saved remnant of Israel (i.e., wider Israel, including Judah)
- The LORD promises that there will always be a surviving remnant — but only a remnant — of Israel, and that one day that remnant will rightly honor and praise the LORD. (Isaiah 10:20-23) In the short term, we get a picture of this in that Jerusalem is protected from the Assyrian onslaught that otherwise devastates the land of Judah. (Isaiah 10:24-27) In the longer term, consider that the Jews still exist at all, despite millennia of persecution. Ultimately, we can anticipate that one day the LORD will draw the remnant of Israel together into proper worship. (Isaiah 11:11-12:6)
- In prior readings, see Isaiah 1:9,26-27; 4:2-6; 17:7-9; 28:5-6; 29:22-24.
- The promise of a coming Messiah/Christ
- The LORD promises that He will raise up a new Ruler that will reign in righteousness and justice, a Ruler on Whom the LORD’s Spirit will rest, and Who is, in fact, the LORD Himself. (Isaiah 11:1-5)
- In prior readings, see Isaiah 7:14; 8:1-7; 28:16-17.
- The promise of a peaceful world under the Messiah’s rule
- The LORD declares that under the coming Messiah, the world will be transformed. Even dangerous animals will become docile. (Isaiah 11:6-9)
- In prior readings, see Isaiah 2:2-4; 4:4-6.
Of course, this is just a sampling. Isaiah has much more to say than what is captured here, but in each of these themes there is hope — hope that is centered in Christ. Sometimes that hope is subtle, hidden in the midst of words of woe, but the hope is there nonetheless. So let’s look for these themes as we move forward through Isaiah and the other prophets. Let’s hear this message of hope in Christ.